CVS Shopping Guide

Extra Care Card
The first thing you need to do if you’re going to shop at CVS is apply for their card if you do this in the store you can use it right away. You can do it online too. Next be sure and register your card with your email address online at CVS.com, in the store, or call 1-800-SHOP CVS. CVS will start sending you coupons including $4/$20 coupons! Be sure you scan the card every time you shop or you’ll be paying full price for everything and you will not earn ECB’s. Read CVS Extra Care Card explanation here.

$/$$ Coupons
CVS also has coupons off your purchase coupons. Meaning that if you spend $20  PRE-COUPON! you will automatically get $4.00 off your order.  They will e-mail these, print them in special booklets, and make them available to print on their website once in a while. These coupons often mean FREE products as you build your total to the amount needed then use other coupons and ECB’s to bring your total as close to $0.00 as you can get.

Extra Care Bucks
Each week they will have an item that will be free after the extra care bucks. This means that you will pay for the item and after you’ve paid on the bottom of your receipt will print an Extra Care Buck that you can use just like cash the next time you shop. Use the Bucks on any thing you’d like except  stamps, gift cards, prescriptions, etc. The way I maximize my savings at CVS is by using my earned Extra Care Buck’s to pay for a free after ECB item. This way I pay very little out of pocket and earn more ECBs every time I shop.

CVS offers weekly Extra Care Bucks and monthly too. The monthly list of extra care bucks can be found in their monthly flier near the front of the store. Weekly offers are included in the weekly ad.  Also be aware that the Extra Care Bucks have limits. If the limit is 2 that’s all you can buy for the monthly or weekly sale period.

• ECB’s expire a month after they are printed.
• ECB’s can be reduced. If your subtotal is $4.89 and you have  $5.00 ECB you can ask to have the ECB adjusted to $4.89. You will loose the adjusted amount,  in this case it was 11 cents.
• Once you earn an ECB you may use it right away as long as it’s not used on the same transaction that you earned it on.
• ECB’s cannot pay for taxes.

Here’s an example for you: Glade Candles are $6.99 with 6.99 ECB. I have a $3.00 coupon for the
Glade Candle so I’m only going to pay $3.99 for the candle, but I will earn $6.99 in ECBs. This is
called a “money maker” in the coupon world. I made $3.00 for buying the candle.

Other CVS Coupons
Sometimes Cash Register Tape coupons will print and look like the one above be on the lookout for these! Also the first thing you should do when you walk into CVS is scan your Extra Care Card and the Red Coupon Box. It should be located near the front of the store. When you scan your card you will receive coupons scan your card twice-it will usually print two times! The coupons that print are almost identical to the one above.

CVS Clearance
I love CVS clearance. Unlike other stores, CVS marks things very low. Just after Valentines Day I was able to pick up some York Peppermint Patties for $0.75 a bag! Of course I used my ECB’s and paid only taxes.

Transaction 1
Bought 8 Starburst $4.00
Used four BOGO coupon
Bought 8 Skittles $4.00
Used four BOGO coupon
Bought two 3 pack Orbit Gum $2.00
Used $1.00 coupon previously available

Total Saved $23.21
Total Earned $3.00 ECB for spending $10 on candy

Transaction 2
Bought 2 Gas-X $10.79
Bought 2 Maalox $11.49
Used four $2.00 Gas-X and Maalox coupons (no longer available)

Total Paid $1.74
Total Saved 21.98
Total Earned $10.00 ECB for buying $20 in medicine products